Family Vacation To Iceland

We landed very late so needed to sleep somewhere close to the airport as we were picking up the car from the airport first thing next morning. 

We rented a car via https://www.sagacarrental.is/en and I can recommend this place. We booked a car for two weeks with the best protection package they had (we didn't plan an off road or crossing rivers but driving in Iceland is a bit different to driving back home so we figured, better safe than sorry) and paid just short of 1000 euros. I recommend paying more for protection packages in Iceland. Despite driving very carefully, we ended up with a damaged windshield and thankfully didn't have to pay extra for fixing it. 

After picking up the car we went the opposite direction to 99% of tourists on the island. Snaefellsnes here we come!

It's our first full day in Iceland and we stop every 5 minutes for pictures. I guess that happens when you get to a place that's so stunningly beautiful that you have to pinch yourself every 5 seconds to make sure that it's not a dream. 

So we stop for waterfalls, endless waterfalls everywhere. And we stop for sheep. And we stop for Icelandic wild horses. At the beginning of our trip, we stop every time we see them, but soon we realise, they are everywhere. And boy are they magnificent creatures! Later, we learn that there are about 80,000 wild horses in Iceland. No wonder we see them so often. 

We woke up early in the morning as we had be at the port at 8AM. Ferry took off at 9AM and took about 3,5 hours across the scenic Breiðafjörður bay to the West Fjords.

Car ferry Baldur booked in advance. 

https://www.seatours.is/

Today is the day for puffins! Some people call them "sea parrots", some people call them "clowns of the sea" and I just call them "cutie pies". They are quite small as they only measure around 25 cm in length but that's a 25 cm of cuteness. They spend most of their life at sea and when they don't swim, they rest at waves. But in spring and summer they gather in colonies on the coasts and islands of the North Atlantic Ocean to breed. So if you're planning a trip to Iceland in the summer, you should definitely arrange to try and watch those adorable birds. 

While in Husavik, it's a good idea to go whale watching. But before you go, make sure you're there at the right time of the year. Also, make sure to book a tour with a good company. Husavik is THE place for whale watching in Iceland and, as you can imagine, that means a lot of business for the locals in this area. If you decide to go whale watching here, please make sure to book with an environmentally responsible company.  We decided to go with Gentle Giants and I can recommend them. They were not chasing whales nor going too close to them. 

https://gentlegiants.is/

Yet another area packed with stunning views. Have a look! :) 

So yes, we did go to Seljavallalaug swimming pool. The pool was built in 1923, making it one of the oldest swimming pools in Iceland. It is hidden away in the mountains of south Iceland. Seljavallalaug swimming pool is one of the sites on the south coast that many people miss when rushing to visit popular sites such as Skogafoss Waterfall. You should know that the pool is only cleaned once a year, we heard stories that there is a lot of algae in the water, though I think we were lucky and must have gotten there not long after it's been cleaned, as the water was clean. In order to reach Seljavallalaug Swimming Pool, you have to take a short hike. Once you park your car at the Seljavallalaug parking lot, take your things (towel, snacks, etc) and prepare for a hike into the mountains. The path. is very easy to follow. Again, we were lucky as it turned out we had the pool to ourselves. So fingers crossed you'll also have some luck if you decide to go there, as it felt pretty special to chill in this lovely pool, surrounded by the mountains, just the 4 of us.

Jökulsárlón is a glacial lagoon, bordering Vatnajökull National Park in southeastern Iceland. Its blue waters are dotted with icebergs from the  Breiðamerkurjökull Glacier, part of larger Vatnajökull Glacier.

When you get there, I recommend taking a Zodiac tour. On the Zodiac, you are able to cover large areas of the glacier lagoon and get closer to the icebergs than on the amphibian. When it's possible, the Zodiac goes almost all the way up to the glacier. We were lucky and had perfect weather so we did get almost all the way up. The minute our boat stopped, we heard a strange noise and realised we are about to see a huge iceberg break off and slide into the water. It was a truly spectacular experience but nevertheless, a very sad sight. 

All places around the Golden Circle a lot more organized. There are separate parking lots for big buses, there are portable toilets, there are souvenir shops, etc. Nature is still amazing, waterfalls still breathtaking but after experiencing the wildness and emptiness of other, more distant parts of Iceland, Golden Circle feels a bit like A Nature Disneyland.  To me, that's the part of the country that while still stunningly beautiful, just lost its magic. Cute but overcrowded but cute. 

Reykjavík is a nice city but I only recommend coming here for a day or half a day. There's some interesting architecture, cute cafes, etc but considering how wonderful the rest of the island is, I'd rather spend more time exploring nature of Iceland.